The drama seeped out of the arena by the time the first quarter was over.
Denver’s throttling of the Clippers on Thursday night had been that thorough and convincing.
In front of a national TV audience, the Nuggets rocked the Clippers, 122-91, for their largest margin of victory of the season, besting a previous 25-point win. The beating was so brutal and unrelenting that neither Kawhi Leonard nor Paul George even saw the court for the second half.
In a season full of statement wins, perhaps Thursday’s rout was the loudest. Now 25-13 on the season and 15-3 at home, the Nuggets will try to channel that same energy against Cleveland on Friday.